Week of 12/22-29: Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

By Sylvia Gurinsky

YesterTube will be back in 2012. Happy Holidays, Happy New Year and Happy Viewing!

Week of December 16: Some "Silver Bells"

By Sylvia Gurinsky

Enjoy the holiday season with some "Silver Bells," courtesy of Bob and Dolores Hope in 1978:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaXX4zU6S68


See you next week. Until then, Happy Viewing!

Week of December 9: The Best of Harry Morgan on "M*A*S*H"

By Sylvia Gurinsky

After a decent career as a supporting player in films, Harry Morgan had another decent career, including the role of Detective Frank Gannon on "Dragnet," in television.

Then came "M*A*S*H."

Hard-core series fans will remember that Morgan made his "M*A*S*H" debut during the third season not as the beloved Col. Sherman Potter, but as the crazy General Bartford Hamilton Steele in the episode "The General Flipped at Dawn."

Aside from a scene in which he mistakes cross-dressing Cpl. Klinger (Jamie Farr) for his mistress, Steele completely loses it at a hearing in which he accuses Hawkeye Pierce (Alan Alda) of insubordination:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tW-JNn49ZN0&feature=related

That guest-starring role won Morgan the role of Col. Potter when McLean Stevenson, who played Col. Henry Blake, left the show. Potter instantly won the hearts of "M*A*S*H" fans with his combination of toughness, humor, sensitivity and intelligence.

Here are five essential Col. Potter episodes:

1. "Change of Command" (Season 4): The character of Potter first appears in the last minute of "Welcome To Korea," the hourlong episode that introduces Capt. B.J. Hunnicutt (Mike Farrell). That scene - with the immortal greeting of Radar (Gary Burghoff), who doesn't see Potter: "Stick that horn in your ear" - is repeated in this episode, along with Potter's introduction to the principal characters. It's capped off with his recounting of his own experiences with a moonshine still.

2. "Dear Mildred" (Season 4): Just a few episodes later, a celebration of Potter's anniversary gets him quite a gift: Sophie, the horse (The horse was male in this episode, and no name was given.). It's a moving scene when Radar brings the horse into Potter's office. And I think the bust looks like Potter, not the carver.

3. "Bug Out" (Season 5): The one-hour opener to the fifth season has the 4077th evacuating, and Morgan has some of the funniest scenes in the episode - including the one in which he calls a camp meeting to reassure everyone, only to be handed a telegram by Radar that says they are bugging out.

4. "The Price" (Season 7): A touching episode concerning a retired Korean soldier and Sophie. Potter goes through various emotions when his beloved horse disappears - until he figures out why.

5. "Old Soldiers" (Season 8): The best episode, in which Potter mourns the death of a World War I comrade while toasting his friendship with his 4077 family. Beautifully done.

The entire series, of course, is available on DVD.

To quote the Colonel, "To me, that's a tiptoe through the tulips."

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See you next week. Until then, Happy Viewing!

Week of December 2: The Television Evolution of the Muppets

By Sylvia Gurinsky

With last week's successful release of the film "The Muppets," it's good to go back and review where they began - on the small screen.

Jim Henson was just 19 years old when he created "Sam and Friends," a five-minute show in Washington, D.C. But a certain frog named Kermit became the star of the show from the beginning.

Here's a 1961 Kermit interview with the Muppet versions of two famous newsmen:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9R5dov0VIw

Almost from the beginning, the Muppets appeared on various variety shows, with Kermit being a consistent character. Here's an appearance on "The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson" from 1965. About halfway through, there's proof that Kermit wasn't always such a nice frog:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOvfXvQygrk&feature=related


Kermit wasn't the only Muppet star during the 1960s. Jimmy Dean had a cute and furry co-star: Rowlf the Dog:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-dHo7sIIb4



The Muppets were popular, but they'd start to go into the stratosphere in 1969, with the creation of a new children's show for public broadcasting, with Henson making an appearance in front of the camera. Forty-two years later.....well, you know the story ( but Big Bird looks considerably different - and much bigger):


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laEyKDxRUd8



The original pilot for "The Muppet Show" in 1976 was stream-of-consiousness - so much so that all three major networks passed on it. Lord Lew Grade, head of the ATV studios in Great Britain, said yes, though, and the show was aired in the UK and syndicated to the United States. It would become the most successful syndicated show in American television history.

It became the "go-to" show for the biggest stars - including opera star Beverly Sills, who suddenly became a country singer:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBdCVJAPoSk


Sills' performance was actually in Season 4. The DVD release of that season has been announced, but no date yet. There are licensing issues over music. Meanwhile, the first three seasons are available on DVD.


The show was done in vaudeville format, and here's a treat: Closing credits from a British airing in 1976:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iu4jH0Ts3aY&feature=related

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See you December 9. Until then, Happy Viewing!

Advisory: Postponed Blog Entry for 12/2

By Sylvia Gurinsky

Because of scheduling issues, the next YesterTube blog will be published early next week. Happy Viewing!